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Rh than the loss of their patrimony. Besides, when he once begins to live by rapine, many occasions offer of seizing the wealth of his subjects, whereas those of shedding blood are rare and often wanting.

But when a prince is at the head of his army, and has under his command a multitude of soldiers, he should not trouble himself about passing among them as cruel; because that character will be useful to him, by keeping his troops in obedience, and will prevent every species of faction.

Hannibal, among many other admirable talents, possessed in a high degree that of making himself feared by his troops; insomuch, that having led into a foreign country a very large army, composed of all kinds of people, he never had cause either in prosperity or adversity to punish the least disorder or the slightest want of, discipliņe; which can only be attributed to his extreme severity, and those other qualities which caused him to be feared and respected by his soldiers, and without which his extraordinary talents and courage had been unavailing.

There have been writers notwithstanding, but, in my opinion, very injudicious ones, who, doing every degree of justice to his talents and his splendid achievements, have still condemned the principle on which he acted. But nothing can in